India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal challenging a Delhi High Court order that had rejected a petition seeking disclosure of the exact timing of a critical fuel switch movement in last year’s deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
The appeal stemmed from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Suresh Chand Shrivastava, a mechanical engineer from IIT Delhi. The petitioner sought directions for authorities to reveal the precise moment when a fuel switch on the London-bound aircraft was moved from “run” to “cut-off,” arguing that such data was essential to understanding the sequence of events leading to the crash.
Hearing the matter, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant questioned the motive behind the plea, remarking that the families of the victims themselves had not approached the court. The bench ultimately dismissed the appeal.
The Delhi High Court had earlier rejected the petition on February 25, 2026, stating that such technical disclosures could not be mandated through judicial intervention. It advised the petitioner to seek information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, if permissible.
The High Court emphasized that highly technical matters—such as aircraft crash investigations—fall within the domain of subject-matter experts and should not be reinterpreted by courts based on individual concerns. It reiterated that judicial bodies cannot intervene simply because a petitioner perceives gaps in expert findings.
The petitioner had argued that the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was incomplete, claiming it lacked a full sequence of events. He suggested that a possible engine surge may have led to a dual engine failure—something he believed could be confirmed through detailed timing data on fuel switches and flame-out events.
However, both courts underscored that the investigation into the crash is still ongoing and that only a preliminary report has been made public so far. The Supreme Court also noted that the petitioner had already submitted representations to relevant authorities, which would be considered in due course.
The crash, one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters, occurred on June 12, 2025, when a Boeing 787-8 operating Air India flight AI-171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. A total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, lost their lives.
